1. Great Fossil Find

The La Brea Tar Pits are located in warm and sunny Southern California, but they are one of the world's richest sites for studying the Ice Age. Now construction workers digging a hole there for a parking garage have uncovered an amazing collection of fossils from 10,000 to 40,000 years ago. Among the fossils are a nearly complete skeleton of a mammoth with 10-foot tusks, a skull of an American lion and bones of saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, bison, horses and other mammals. All were caught in sticky tar like that used to pave roads and preserved, scientists said. As a class, talk about how fossils can teach scientists about long-ago animals like mammoths, which were ancient relatives of elephants. Then talk about ways people can protect important scientific places like the La Brea Tar Pits. In the newspaper, find local places that might be important to scientists and talk about them as a class.

Learning Standards: Explaining how fossils provide evidence about the nature of ancient life; comprehending the past; engaging peers in constructive conversation about topics of interest or importance.

2. Crazy Comet

A comet called Lulin is a real lulu of a space object. The crazy comet has a green color given off by a poisonous gas, and when it is viewed from Earth it looks as though it is traveling backwards, with its tail of gas and dust in front. Lulin was discovered two years ago by a Chinese teenager, and last week traveled closer to Earth than it will ever be again. Lulin came from the edge our solar system, which includes Earth and other planets orbiting around the sun. After Lulin orbits the sun, it will fly off into space again. As a class, talk about things you would like to know about space objects like stars, planets, comets and meteors. Find stories in the newspaper about space discoveries. Write a sentence describing one discovery and why it is important. Learning Standard: Understanding the nature of scientific inquiry; explaining how we learn about the universe; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

3. Omnivore Dinosaur

Omnivores are living things -- like humans -- that eat both plants and meat. In the South American country of Argentina, scientists have found the fossil of a dinosaur that was an omnivore. The discovery, scientists said, provides "the missing link" between meat-eating and plant-eating dinosaurs that roamed the Earth more than 70 million years ago. "This is a very important piece of the puzzle on the origin of dinosaurs," scientist Oscar Alcober said. Argentina has had amazing dinosaur finds before. In the 1980s, scientists there found the largest plant-eater ever and in the 1990s they found the largest meat-eater. As a class, talk about animals that are plant-eaters, meat-eaters and omnivores ("omni" means "everything" in the Latin language). Find an example in the newspaper and write a paragraph describing the benefits of being an omnivore for humans or other living things.

Learning Standards: Explaining how physical and/or behavioral characteristics of living things help them to survive in their environments; comparing and classifying organisms; writing fluently for multiple purposes.

4. Flower-Power EPA

Most people know the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the part of the government that keeps an eye on habitats, wildlife and ecosystems. But did you know EPA workers are also flower exhibitors? For the 17th straight year, workers from the EPA's Mid-Atlantic region on the nation's East Coast have designed an exhibit for display at the world-famous Philadelphia Flower Show in Pennsylvania. The EPA exhibits teach people how to protect the environment when planting gardens, and this year's focuses on the importance of wetlands. Called "Water Is Life, Life Is Water," the exhibit also shows how to use recycled materials when gardening. With a partner, find stories, photos and ads that involve plants in the newspaper. Use what you find to create a poster showing the benefits and beauty of gardens.

Learning Standard: Reading and writing fluently, speaking confidently, listening and interacting appropriately, viewing critically and representing creatively.

5. Life at the Poles

For years, scientists thought the oceans around the Earth's North and South Poles were watery "deserts" that couldn't support much life. A new study, however, has found that waters around the Earth's two poles support thousands of species. What's more, the study has uncovered a mystery that is puzzling scientists. At least 235 species live in the waters of both polar seas -- even though they are 8,000 miles apart and are separated by warmer water that they couldn't survive in. Scientists who conducted the Census of Marine Life study don't know how some of the same creatures wound up at both the top and bottom of the planet, or developed in those places separate from each other. All told, scientists said, the study found 7,500 animals living near the South Pole and 5,500 near the North Pole. As a class or with a partner, find news about animals or habitats in the newspaper. Draw a comic strip or cartoon explaining one news item.

Learning Standards: Explaining ecosystem concepts and processes; describing positive and negative effects of humans on nature and wildlife; using the craft of the illustrator to express ideas artistically.